Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore him

Full Text

1 Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him!
Yes, I will laud Him until death;
With songs and anthems I come before Him
As long as He allows me breath.
From Him my life and all things came;
Bless, O my soul, His holy name.
Allelujah, allelujah!

2 Trust not in rulers; they are but mortal;
Earth-born they are and soon decay.
Vain are their counsels at life's last portal,
When the dark grave doth claim its prey.
Since mortals can no help afford,
Place all your trust in Christ, our Lord.
Allelujah, allelujah!

3 Blessed, oh, blessed is he forever
Whose help is in the Lord Most High,
Whom from salvation can nothing sever,
And who in hope to Christ draw nigh.
To all who trust in Him, our Lord
Will aid and counsel now afford.
Allelujah, allelujah!

4 Penitent sinners, for mercy crying,
Pardon and peace from Him obtain;
Ever the wants of the poor supplying,
Their faithful God He will remain.
He helps His children in distress,
The widows and the fatherless.
Allelujah, allelujah!

5 Praise, all you nations, the name so holy
Of Him who does such wondrous things!
All that has being, to praise Him solely,
With happy heart its amen sings.
Children of God, with angel host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Allelujah, allelujah!

Author: Johan Daniel Hernschmidt

Herrnschmidt, Johann Daniel, was born April 11, 1675, at Bopfingen, in Württemberg, where his father, G. A. Herrnschmidt, was from 1673-1702 diaconus, and 1702-1714 Town preacher. He entered the University of Altdorf in 1696 (M.A. 1698), and in the autumn of 1698 went to Halle. In the spring of 1702 he became assistant to his father, and in July, 1702, Heifer at the Town church. In 1712 he became superintendent, court preacher and consistorialrath at Idstein, and in the same year graduated D.D. at Halle. He was finally, in 1715, appointed Professor of Theology at Halle, and in 1716 also sub-director of the Orphanage and the Padagogium there. He died at Halle, Feb. 5, 1723 (Koch, iv. 349-354, 569, &c). He was one of the best hymnwriters of… Go to person page >

Translator: A. Brauer

Alfred Brauer was born on Au­gust 1, 1866, near Ad­e­laide, Aus­tral­ia. He studied law in Australia, but switched to theology, went to America and graduated from Concordia Theological Sem­in­ary in Spring­field, Il­li­nois (1890). He re­turned to Aus­tralia to serve as a pas­tor, and al­so ed­it­ed the Aus­tral­i­an Lu­ther­an, and con­trib­ut­ed trans­la­tions to the 1925 Aus­tral­i­an Lu­ther­an Hymn-Book. He also was the author of Under the South­ern Cross. He died on October 16, 1949.
NN, Hymnary
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Tune

LOBE DEN HERREN, O MEINE SEELE (not to be confused with the more familiar LOBE DEN HERREN at 253) is a German chorale in AAB bar form. Well-known in Germany but less so in North America, this anonymous tune was published in 1665 in an appendix to the hymnal Neu-vermehrte Christlich Seelen-Harfe (166…